Two-year-old girl dies raising death toll of Taichung mall explosion to five

The death toll of a gas explosion at a department store in Taichung city, Taiwan, has risen to five after a two-year-old girl from Macau succumbed to her injuries.

On February 13, a blast occurred in the food court on the 12th floor of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taichung city. The higher floors of the upscale department store were blown out, raining debris on pedestrians below.

The explosion had so far resulted in five deaths and 37 injuries.

Among the dead were an elderly couple from Macau and the two-year-old. They were part of a family of seven who were there on vacation.

Macau authorities said the girl, taken back to Macau via a medical transport plane following the incident, passed away in Conde S. Januário Hospital in Macau last Friday.

The other two people killed were working in the mall. A woman was found on the stairs between the 11th and 12th floors and was believed to be inspecting the construction site. A man was found near the 12th-floor safety ladder.

The probe has seen 33 witnesses questioned by Taiwan authorities. None of them have been named as suspects and the Taichung District Prosecutors Office said that investigations into the cause of the accident are still ongoing.